


The Contract

by PatchworkIdeas



Series: Familiar [1]
Category: The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Not Related, Coming of Age, Dysfunctional Family, Erotica, Family Abuse, Fantasy, Finding Support In Unexpected Places, First Time, Leaving Home For Good, M/M, Sex Demon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:07:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29557473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PatchworkIdeas/pseuds/PatchworkIdeas
Summary: Magicians need familiars.Familiars live off magician's life force.Fili has no intention of dying young. But what other choice does he have?Making a deal with a sex demon, apparently.
Relationships: Fíli/Kíli (Tolkien)
Series: Familiar [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2171532
Comments: 14
Kudos: 31
Collections: GatheringFiKi - Kink Bingo 2021





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve found it much easier to write Sex when I’m invested in the Characters, so you can expect a whole, thought out story from this verse - with the sex scenes (hopefully) organically weaved in.   
> But for those more interested in some quick pleasure (Prompt: Feeling of Fullness) you’ll find it at the beginning of Chapter 2. Either way: Enjoy! 
> 
> PS: While Fili is 17 at the beginning, there’ll be NO Underage Sex or the like in this fic. There's talking about it, but always with the clear understanding it won't happen until later.

Meeting Kili had been an accident. And the best thing that ever happened to Fili. He was seventeen, still several month away from his coming of age ceremony, but already hard at work preparing for it. 

Or, more precisely, desperately trying to find a way out of it.

It wasn’t the coming of age itself that was the problem, but who he was - a magician. And not just any magician. He was a Durin. An ancient, powerful family. Most well known for meddling with forces they really shouldn’t have touched. 

Not that Uncle Thorin explained it like that. According to him they were the greatest magicians this world had ever seen. Strong enough even to defeat death - or a time based one at least. Like most magicians of any renown they made a contract with a familiar when they came of age, an otherworldly being that would protect them and share it’s magical power with their partner. 

For a price.

Once upon a time magicians were foolish enough to sell their soul for power. They never lived particular long, considering their partners only got paid once they died. Pretty much all contracts these days were on a day to day basis. Life force against protection and power. If their partner died, they lost their food source. 

That dramatically increased their life spans, sure, but stronger familiars demanded more payment - meaning still drastically reduced lifespans. His uncle had looked like he was ninety by the time he hit thirty. And then he looked like he was in the prime of his life ever since, familiar exchanged against a patron no sane being would consider dealing with.

That was the problem with his family - they were known for being powerful, not for being _sane._

But Fili was. And he wanted to _stay that way!_

If only it weren’t for his uncle. Thorin had made it clear only the strongest of familiars was acceptable. Thorin would test them himself - if they couldn’t give Fili enough power to protect him from a full blast of Thorin’s power, they weren’t worthy.

Fili didn’t even want to know what said blast would do to _him._  
But the idea of dying at thirty, or being forcefully inducted into some dark beings service to prolong his life didn’t sit well with him either. Running had occurred to him, and he had even tried, once.

Just that once. 

Fili rubbed his arms, old phantom aches rising up again. The problem with Necromancers really was that they had no regard for life in any forms, no matter the relation. 

And so Fili had started his search for familiars early. Perhaps, if he only looked long enough, he could find one that was both strong enough to protect him from his family and not as greedy as the others. Fili didn’t need the full powers, had no great, world changing ambitions. He just wanted to _live!_

Perhaps it had been that desperation that changed the by now so familiar spell, secretly conducted in the old, gnarled woods of their estate. Or maybe it was the way he had to swallow his tears during the incantation, the odd pause he had never made before.

Either way, what he got was not a familiar.

The gorgeous stranger leered at him for a moment, all swagger and confidence, before he straightened up, confusion written all over his handsome face, followed by obvious discomfort.

“Eh, kid, I’m not sure what you’re doing summoning a sex demon, but you’re a bit too young for me. Can’t legally take underage clients and all that, sorry to disappoint you. And trust me, you really don’t want your first time with a demon, kiddo, we leave an impression and nothing else will ever feel good enough after. ...And that’s just between you and me, of course. I just don’t feel right getting someone addicted so young...”

Fili blinked at the man, not looking much older than he himself was. That itself was wrong of course - familiars always appeared as animals.  
_Shit_ , he had really screwed up, hadn’t he? Demon’s didn’t take lightly to being summoned without reason - and where notoriously difficult to unsummon! Fili hoped he could salvage this without making a life long enemy. At least he didn’t seem angry so far…

“I… My apologies. I meant to summon a familiar and must have made a mistake. Is there a task you could perform for me so that your trip wouldn’t have been in vain? One I would be able to pay without using my soul or life force, if you please.”

The dark haired stranger sacked in relief and plopped down on the wet ground without any thought of decorum. Fili followed him, just in case. He didn’t think looming over a demon was a good idea, wet ground or not.

“Thank fuck! I get some weird customers, but I would not be comfortable with that. Probably one of the few Incubus happy about the new age laws, let me tell you! And no worries, those include souls and life force. Which… why are you trying to summon a familiar if you’re too young to barter with them?” The demon laid down on his side, seemingly unconcerned about the wet and cold, all relaxed and languid.  
Fili wasn’t quite sure how to take this demon - he was nothing like what Fili had read about in books. Though he also didn’t know why anyone would want to have sex with those monsters, so perhaps that had a part in it. 

But how to treat him? Formality was obviously wrong here and Fili had no idea of the right phrases and the like. Hadn’t there been a warning that demons could sniff out lies? Something about how every sentence had to be carefully constructed to not enrage them? Or something like that? Perhaps just sticking with the truth for now was best, until he figured out how to get rid of him again.

“I… I’m expected by my family to contract a strong familiar, but I have little interest in power myself. So I’m… doing a preliminary search? For one that’s strong enough to protect me from my family but won’t ask the usual price. I know it’s unlikely, but you wouldn’t happen to know one that could fit that bill? I would be very thankful, and I’m sure I can find a way to properly repay you for that service.”

No need to let a demon go to waste after all, if he had to get a task done. The demon sat up straight again, suddenly all serious. He stopped all movement, didn't even seem to breath. All his attention was on Fili. It was eery. Like Fili was a bug, being prepared to be stuck with a needle to get ready for display, like those disgusting, faded creatures his great grandmother had collected.

“They’re forcing you to die early for their own gains? Some kind of revenge you’re supposed to bring forth? A one time deal might be better than a life time commitment there.”

Still no movement, just brown eyes with a red tinge, boring into Fili’s. He swallowed.

“No. For no reason. They just want power, and not wanting it is...not an option. I need to at least be able to protect myself against them.”

“A Durin then. Am I right? Those eyes… I think I had a run in with one of your ancestors once. Not a nice chap. Aw fuck, you’re one unlucky bastard, aren’t ya?”

The trance seemed broken, the demon leaning back again, a pensive look on his face. Something about the nonchalance pissed Fili off. It wasn’t like he had chosen this, or like he wasn’t trying his best to change things!

“Well, what do you think why I’m trying to get out?! Preferably _without_ getting killed in the process! So can you actually help me or not?!”

The eyes pinned him again and Fili gulped, suddenly aware of just how rude he had been to an almost impossibly strong being. Thorin dealt with some shady creatures, but even he was polite to demons. They could make people’s life living hell - never mind their afterlives.

But this one just looked at him. Time ticked forward and Fili squirmed on the wet ground, uncomfortable but unwilling to stop the staring contest. The demons eyes were fascinating, the way they seemed to slip and slide between a deep, dark brown, almost black, to a reddish hue that reminded him of dying embers. Not that that was why Fili continued to stare - he just had a very, very strong survival instinct, and not looking away from a demon only held in by the paltry defenses meant for a familiar seemed a good choice.

The demon smiled. His teeth were surprisingly normal, not pointy at all.

“I think I like you. You’ve got spunk. And you know what? I do owe your family some payback for that cheap bastard. What better way to do it than to help one of their own escape? So, here’s the deal: I help you find a lifelong partner that _you_ are happy with, and in return I get a favor, called in at a later time. It won’t be anything too outrageous I promise, we can take care of the details once you’re an adult. Can’t make a proper contract with you until then, I wasn’t lying about that part. Just… do us both a favor and don’t try to short change me, you won’t like the result.”

“You’ll help me?!” Fili surged forward, full of excitement - and landed inside the circle, when his fallen asleep legs folded beneath him.

The demon had surprisingly soft skin, exactly like the human he resembled. Even if he was obviously much stronger, having caught Fili without trouble. Fili looked up into the grinning face, excitement wiped out by well deserved fear. But the demon only laughed and shook his head.

“You’re lucky I like you. It’s a deal, and I’ll even throw in some info on basic safety in summon culture. You need it!” 

Fili nodded sheepishly. Completely at the mercy of the demon as he now was, it wasn’t like he had any other choice. At least a deal meant the demon couldn’t just eat him anymore. 

Probably.

-

Kili - as the demon insisted he be called, after coaxing Fili’s name out of him, much to Fili’s chagrin and Kili’s laughter - was an immense help and a constant companion in the following months. It wasn’t just his tendency to invisibly follow Fili around and warn him whenever any of his ill tempered family members were close by - as useful and appreciated as that was. Kili patiently and with plenty of humor coached him on summoning tips and tricks - many of which Fili probably wouldn’t even be taught at magic school, starting in the late fall, just a few days after his birthday. These days all official, in depth magic education only began after one came of age, starting with that fateful first summoning of their familiar. 

Fili had felt quite clever, getting those instructions early and changing them to have a chance to talk to the familiars before binding himself to them for the rest of his hopefully long life. He was only just starting to realize just how lucky he had been to get Kili in his magical mishap, rather than something that wouldn’t have hesitated to eat him - or worse. What he had thought were protections had been little more than paper mache. Familiars had no reason to kill anyone - they couldn’t get any life force that way - but by now the story of what a fool Fili was had spread among them, no matter that his defenses had gotten much better under Kili’s tutelage. Kili himself insisted that Fili could not mention the demons help - it would spread like wildfire and once other demons got wind that Fili was willing to deal he wouldn’t have much of a life anymore, even if he found a familiar that might be willing to try and protect him from demonic attention. 

Which would not come cheaply, if at all.

But even without the need to keep Kili secret it was… not going well. The familiars either laughed at him, an underage would-be magician trying to _talk_ , or scorned him when they realized he had no life force to offer and was wasting their time.

The rule seemed set in stone: Stronger familiar, higher price. If there was even any familiar left willing to bond to him at all, what with his current laughing stock position.

“Don’t worry about it. Familiars have short attention spans. Most of the ones available right now will be bound and about by the time your ceremony comes along. If you haven’t found one say, a month before, then just stop. By the time it comes around who ever answers your call won’t remember.”

“And I’ll be stuck with a familiar that will gleefully kill me, or be killed by my uncle when he tests my familiar’s strengthens. Perfect. Just perfect!”

Kili stopped him from stomping out of the woods in a huff. Fili’s mood had been getting worse and worse with every try. He loved learning about magic, especially the way Kili taught it, but what good was that if he couldn’t _free_ himself!

“What do you mean, test your familiar’s strength? That’s not part of the ceremony.”

“It is in our family. My uncle will send his strongest spell against me. If the familiar can’t at least help me survive it, it wasn’t strong enough. It’s to force us to aim high, the highest we can. _To keep the family strong!_ ” Fili spat. The noose got tighter and tighter, and Fili despised how it felt around his neck, cutting of his air a bit more with each day closer to his “big day.”

He wasn’t sure why Kili was helping him, to be honest, but his presence was by now the only thing keeping Fili sane. How could a demon be so gentle and supporting? And mischievous, of course - Kili never missed an opportunity to play a prank on the rest of the family, or steal ancient heirlooms when no one was looking.  
Only when Fili had an alibi, luckily.  
Fili didn’t mind - his family certainly deserved it - but he just couldn’t understand how that could be enough for Kili. Teaching Fili must be a lot of trouble for him, and it looked more and more each day like Fili wouldn’t be around to actually pay back that favor for their unofficial deal. And it was unofficial, Fili knew now. Kili was in no way bound to him and he often left suddenly when someone actually called for hin. But he always came back, hours later, with new energy but a hastily hidden frown on his face. Perhaps Fili was the boredom relief. Perhaps Kili enjoyed teaching, enjoyed their banter, enjoyed their talks and musings and joking around. Fili certainly did. Maybe demons weren’t as different from humans as he had been taught - and wasn’t that a dangerous thought?

But the problem remained. Fili’s birthday was getting closer and closer. And his hope dimmer everyday.

“I could try to teach you defensive magic.” Kili tried one early morning, alone in Fili’s room. Kili looked out at the rising sun. His face would look relaxed if Fili hadn’t learned how to spot the tension in him. All the time they spent together had given way to familiarity.

“Can I get them strong enough to protect me without a familiar?” Fili asked rhetorically. He knew the answer, every magician knew that answer. Lots of people could be magicians - but all that were had a magical partner. Without those, their powers were diminished, good for little more than hopeful reading of the future through tea leaves - or to boil the water at the most, taking longer than any fire would. A magician without a familiar was nothing.

Except…

“Before there were familiars, there were demons.” Fili started. Kili turned towards him, probably curious where he was going with that. Fili wasn’t perfectly sure himself, it was early and he hadn’t gotten much sleep. The direction his thoughts took felt dangerous. But wasn’t his future dangerous too? Lethal, really.

“We used to make deals with demons, before there were familiars. And we died, because we promised them our souls. Something they could only have after we died. But what if-” Fili took a deep breath. It wasn’t impossible Kili had played him. Had tried to set him up for this realization. Demons were dangerous, manipulative. They weren’t friends.

But Kili felt like a friend, and really, what did Fili have to lose? With how he knew Thorin and his fall into dark magic he couldn’t even be sure he would still _have_ a soul after Thorin’s spell killed him. And he definitely wouldn’t keep his if he got one of the strong familiars. He would never get out of his family by walking the same paths they did.

“What do you want, Kili? You stay with me everyday, you listen to me, have fun with me, you’re being my friend when I don’t even know if I’ll be around to be able to pay you back. What would you want, if you could have anything but my soul or life force? I’m not offering, I just want to know.”

Kili looked at him for a long moment, a conflicted look on his face, before it smoothed, leaving so little behind Fili couldn’t read him anymore. Kili sat beside him, looking down at him. It should be scary, but Fili just felt safe.  
Fili leaned into the hand that cupped his face tenderly and watched as Kili came closer, his own breath stocking in his chest. Fili wasn’t afraid, but he had never felt like he did then, like his whole body was on fire, like the universe shrunk and nothing but Kili existed anymore. Was that demon magic? Was Kili putting a spell on him?

Soft lips touched his forehead, gently, carefully. The moment broke and Fili felt disappointed and didn’t know why.

“There are many kinds of demons out there. And yes, most of them would take you up on becoming your partner, even if they couldn’t get your soul in the bargain. Not that they wouldn’t try, for the rest of your life, just waiting for the right moment. But your people choose familiars for a reason. They don’t mind being controlled, being used for their power. They are patient creatures, not easily mistreated. Demons are… wild. Unpredictable. We won’t do what you want from us, and your kind hate us for that. You could make a deal with us, put all the right clauses and conditions and what not into it - and it would still not be enough. We give our powers when we feel like it, when we want to, and we take our payments the same way. You can bind us, but you cannot control us. I could promise to protect you - but that wouldn’t mean I would give you my strength for a battle I thought senseless. But that is beside the point anyway. There’s only one thing you could give me that would make a long term contract between us possible, and with the new rules in place, we won’t have the time to do it before your ceremony begins. But please Fili, do not try to make a deal with one of my brethren. It will end badly for you. More than you could ever imagine.”

“But it wouldn’t with you. You wouldn’t hurt me.” It felt bold. Too bold really, Fili knew. But he was so sick of being scared all the time. And if he wanted to pretend that Kili was his friend for what little time he had left then he could only hope Kili would indulge him.

But it didn’t feel like Kili was pretending. His friend surged up, paced at the beds food - three steps turn, three steps turn, three steps - before all but throwing himself backwards on the bed, arm thrown over his eyes, his other hand clenched beside him.

Fili waited. Kili might be a gentle teacher, but he was passionate and- well, wild and unpredictable in pretty much everything else. And theatrical, most of the time.

“I don’t want to see you hurt.” Kili eventually ground out, every word spoken as if it pained him. “But there’s not much I can do here. I like you, I didn’t think I would but I do. You are nothing like the assholes that usually summon me, and I don’t think I have ever met a human who treated me like a living being, rather than a ticking time bomb or a dumb beast or just the means to an end. If I could spend your lifetime with you, getting what I needed to survive from you and giving the boot to all my other clients, I _would!_ But I can’t, and I don’t like feeling helpless or trapped, believe me!”

Trapped. Fili knew he was, but what could trap a demon like Kili?

“Do you… have a different contract? Is that why you can’t make one with me?” Fili knew that must be wrong before Kili even shook his head, arm never uncovering his eyes. Kili spent too much time with him to be at the beck and call of any particular master.

“...What do you need that I can’t give you? Why can’t we make a contract in time? We still have six weeks to set it up after all. What would take so long it wouldn’t be possible anymore?”

Turning his head, Kili looked at him with a deadpan look, obviously expecting some kind of light to go off in Fili’s head. It didn’t.

“Ugh. I’m. An. In-cu-bus! I deal in sex! The familiar ceremony starts the moment you turn eighteen, to make sure no demon or otherworldly creature has time to get their claws in you before it. Any contract you could make with me would be sealed in sex. Which we obviously can’t do in the middle of that ceremony, and which we can’t do early because the stupid new laws protect underage summoners from demons like me! And I know you all think us wild and barbaric, but we have our own leaders doing deals with your leaders and the rest of us have to adhere to them unfortunately, whether we like it or not!”

Back up he surged, three steps turn, three steps tu- and then he was gone in the usual puff of smoke.

Either he got a convenient call or he just didn’t want to talk to Fili anymore. Fili seriously hoped it was the former. Not just because he didn’t want to lose the only friend he had, but because a desperate idea started to take shape.

Fili didn’t know what other magician families did, but he knew _his_ family held the ceremony at midnight - the best time to summon strong familiars. That was the time he would come of age. But Fili knew he wasn’t born at midnight - he was born in the early morning! He wasn’t supposed to know - he had caught his mother and uncle arguing about it once, something about the time being important and some kind of time sensitive spell. Had they been talking about the ceremony perhaps? 

And would it make a difference to Kili? Would it be enough? And even if it was - what would that even mean? Kili had said he was a… sex demon, right? Fili obviously knew about sex, though he hadn’t exactly had any opportunities to try it out before. Their family was reclusive mostly, and Thorin had made it clear what he would do to any poor non magician girl Fili brought home or got pregnant. It wasn’t exactly forbidden, but he had no intention of getting some poor girl sacrificed.  
And, well, he hadn’t exactly been interested in any girls either.  
Kili hadn’t sounded like a contract between them was physically impossible - and his demonic friend was extraordinarily handsome. Fili wasn’t blind. But how did that even work? Fili was obviously missing some information here.

Fili went through the rest of his days in a ditsy, and managed to piss of Thorin in the process. He was just bandaging himself when Kili came back, a storm cloud over his head. The already dark mood only got worse when Kili saw his arms, the belt lashes red and angry. Thorin always preferred to do it somewhere Fili would see it, as an extra reminded to be better. The fire in Kili’s eyes reminded him just how dangerous Kili could be - a fact that should scare him, not reassure him.

Kili took the bandages from him, gentle hands so different from his angry glower, and bandaged him up.

“I think… Is the exact time I’m born important to my coming of age?”

Kili started, looking at him like he was crazy for asking.  
“Of course it is! What exactly are these people teaching you? That it’s the whole day or something? For anything magic, you become of age the moment you have exactly eighteen years behind you. And don’t ask me why eighteen - they keep moving the time on us over the years, it some kind of mortal thing. Your kinds leaders are the one’s who make the deals and rules there, not magic itself. We just know what’s off limits.”

“My magical coming of age ceremony is almost a full day after my time of birth. I don’t know how many hours exactly. Would you know?”

And Kili stilled suddenly, like he had that very first time when they met. Too red eyes met his and Fili couldn’t look away.

“Are you sure?”

Fili felt faint, like his heart would jump out of his chest with how fast it was beating. But he didn’t feel scared, not like back then. Instead he felt hot all over, knowing he was the center of Kili’s attention and eating it up.

“Yeah.” He croaked out. And repeated himself, louder, no idea why his voice had chosen that moment to give out. He thought he had embarrassing moments like that behind him for years ago!

Kili closed his eyes suddenly, breathing deep. He finished bandaging Fili’s arms without a word and pulled him on the bed, so they were sitting opposite each other.

“What do you know about sex or sex demons?”

Fili shook his head. “Not enough, I think. At least not to know what a contract between us would mean and how the actual payment would look like.”

“That’s what I feared. Ugh. Let’s get to the important parts first: A contract with me would mean we would have sex everyday. This is non negotiable. I survive on sexual energy, with life energy more of a side note for my kind. I usually take some from my clients, along with whatever sexual energy I get while taking care of them. If I don’t have that life energy on top of the sexual anymore I _need_ to have sex daily. I will not let you starve me because you’re not in the mood, you have to understand that. A deal with me means you Can’t. Say. No. Do you understand?”

Fili’s mouth felt dry, and he couldn’t help but bite his lips, a bad habit he thought he had left behind. He trusted Kili, more than he should he knew, but giving him full access without any safeties was a horrible idea, and went against everything Kili - and good sense - taught him.

“What about… The important part here is once a day, right? So what if it’s a wrong moment for me? Can I say later? Can I say ‘Not this way’? Is there a specific way we have to do it or can we find something I enjoy? Can-” 

Kili laughed. Loudly. He rolled around on the floor - having rolled himself of the bed in his first fit - for several minutes and Fili was rapidly losing his patience.

“Are you done now?” He asked icily while Kili climbed up the bed again, still wheezing.

“Sorry, it’s just...snort… I’m an Incubus. I’m a sex demon. Anything I’ll do you’ll enjoy - that’s not gloating, that’s just a fact. You won’t have to worry about pain either - not unless you like being in pain of course. I am _specialized_ in bringing you pleasures out of this world. But to answer your questions - and I’m proud you asked them, meant you listened to me babbling on: Yes, we can set up rules like that. But I won’t help you set them up - I won’t help you restrict me. And if you set up rules, then so will I. One: We have sex at least once every twenty four hours. If you try to tell me no or later by the time we hit twenty three I’m going to ignore you. I’ll still make it nice for you - your pleasure feeds me after all - but you won’t get a veto at that point. Agreeing to a contract with me means agreeing to that.  
Two: I don’t share. You have never been touched by anyone before and I know you might be curious. I can promise you, none will be as good as I am, you’re not missing anything. But if I’m yours, you’ll be mine. You don’t get to put a collar on me and what I do without getting one in return.”

There wasn’t a hint of laughter in Kili now and Fili was suddenly painfully aware that he wasn’t just dealing with his friend anymore. They were _dealing._ These were the first steps of a contract. A contract that would save his life, that would free his future - and that would bind his fate to a demon, albeit a friendly one.

“We can still stop, if you want to. Nothing we say right now is set in stone, you’re not old enough to deal for real yet. But you will be soon, and nothing will be quite as simple as it is right now. Use the time you have wisely.”

And Kili was gone again. Not to a call this time, Fili knew. Kili had noticed he got overwhelmed and backed off. Awfully considerate for a demon, as much as it was frustrating too. How was he supposed to know how to do this if he had no one to ask? 

Fili burrowed his head in his pillow and screamed. Dying at his uncles hands, dying in ten years and probably being inducted into an insane necromancy club in the process or getting mind blowingly amazing sex from his best friend - who happened to be a demon - for the rest of his life. Probably long life too, considering Fili doubted Kili could get any sexual energy from a corpse and so would be quite invested in Fili’s continued survival, unreliable access to magical energy or not.

With the caveat he couldn’t say no. 

Not really. Not in any way that really mattered. He would be giving his consent once, when they both agreed on the contract - and apparently sealed it by having sex, if he understood Kili correctly this morning. 

This morning only. It felt like a different lifetime.  
He had an option. He had an actual _choice!_ Wasn’t that worth it? 

Would it be worth it if he would give a different choice away for the rest of his life? It felt ridiculous to even ask, compared to his other options, but Fili wanted to be sure. Not just for himself and his own peace of mind but for Kili’s too. His friend might be a demon, but despite everything Fili believed him when he said he didn’t want to harm Fili.  
Kili would ask him.  
Kili would disappear like this every time Fili wasn’t sure. So that Fili could be sure he made the choice under his own power, no manipulations, no spells. Nothing but his own choice.

For the first time in his life, he was a actually given a choice.  
And it was probably not what Kili had intended, but it just made the decision all the more clearer, made him fall that little bit more.

Fili got up and got some paper. He had a list to make, as much as he knew the outcome. And afterwards there were questions that needed answering, a contract that needed drafting and a future to plan.

Whatever experiences the magicians before him had made with demons - they weren’t Fili, and this was _his_ decision.

It might be a risky choice, but he was taking it.


	2. Chapter 2

The neat, handwritten pages of the contract lay between them. Fili had worked on it for weeks, writing and rewriting, asking questions and getting answers until they were both happy with every sentence. Kili had been surprised by that, it felt like. Fili had taken his words to heart, hadn’t even attempted to trap him. Instead they had searched for compromises together. Kili had made it clear that was not how contracts where usually done - but in the end, it had been Kili that warned him when the contract skewed too strongly in Kili’s favor.

“It’s all good and fine that my job is to protect you from all harm, but with the current wording, what’s to stop me from whisking you away to the underworld, keeping you locked up, safe from harm, while I have my merry way with you? You don’t want to leave me loopholes like that.”

For all of Kili’s continued insistence he was a demon, not _friend_ material, he sure did look out for Fili.

By now, after six weeks of hard work, the contract was as good as Fili could make it. He was confident in it. He was confident in Kili. This was what he choose. This was what he wanted.

None of that changed that he wanted to read it once more, turn around every phrase and look again, just to make sure. He couldn’t, of course. Not just because Kili was _right there_ and might not go through with it if he thought Fili was actually scared - but because it was too dark to read. 

They had stolen out sometime after midnight, leaving lumps under his covers in case anyone came in for a short look - something that hadn’t happened in years, but Fili still felt better with it. He had picked up the contract, his carefully packed bag and a blanket and sneaked out of the house. He knew there was a trace on him, knew he couldn’t run away, but the woods where still on the grounds and Thorin had never looked for him out here. It was unlikely Fili would be found now. He hoped, at least.

And well, the rest was waiting. Fili had insisted there shouldn’t be any lights, or any magic that might give them away before it was time. The contract and it’s impact on his future might make Fili nervous, but it was being caught - his choice stripped from him, so close to finally being free - that terrified him.

“Relax, there’s nothing stirring in the house and I won’t let anything happen to you either way. You’ve got me to protect you now.”

“I just… I can’t wait to sign it. Are you sure you can tell when I’m eighteen? I don’t want to waste a single second.”

“So eager!” Kili laughed, his deep voice rumbling through the darkness. Fili was reminded of what exactly sealing the contract entailed. Kili had told him when he asked, embellished it, described it in detail.

And warned him no words could come even close to the actual feeling.

Fili swallowed, hot and nervous and freezing in the autumn night air all at once. A warm arm laid across his shoulders, pulling him close, letting him share Kili’s warmth. Kili hadn’t touched him often, before. That time Kili caught him had been their only contact for months, Kili always seeming to dance out of reach. Not so anymore.

Not so ever again, Fili expected.

“It’s gonna be fine, I promise.” Kili murmured in his ear, hot breath running shivers down Fili’s spine. 

They would be closer soon enough. Closer than anything Fili had ever experienced before. Kili leaned down to him in the darkness, lips just inches apart - and pulled back.

“I hate waiting too.” He sighed, falling back onto the blanket. Fili went with him, unwilling to let go of the contact, of the warmth, what little reassurance he could find.

“Will we be the same? Once I’m of age? Will we still be able to joke and talk and be honest with each other?”  
It was too late for worries really, but the question just slipped out. Kili pulled him closer, easily moved him until Fili was lying on Kili’s chest, strong arms around him, holding him. 

Fili should have felt trapped, but he just felt protected.

“Nothing will be like it’s now. Life never is. But that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. I can’t see the future, but I wager there’ll be less fears and worries. And I can promise you you’ll get to hear a lot more dirty jokes from me than you have now. And get to know a lot of other things about me most intimately.” Fili rolled his eyes and tried to playfully hit Kili with his elbow. He missed. Kili laughed. “But overall? This ease? I would like to keep that and I think as long as we both keep respecting each other we will.”

Respect between a magician and a demon. It wasn’t usually done, at least not the way they did it. Without fear and instead with actual care.

“Please don’t change that, Fili.” He thought he heard Kili whisper, but before he could react Kili was breathing deep and the atmosphere changed. Sitting up as if Fili’s weight on his chest was nothing, Kili plopped him back onto the blanket, back into the cold without warning.

“Protection's gone. You’re eighteen.” Kili said, suddenly keeping his distance. By now Fili had a good idea why. Despite being a demon, Kili had made every possible attempt to _not_ trap Fili. This was something Fili had to do on his own, a decision only he could make.

The paper felt cold and smooth under his hands. The needle felt icy. The strongest, most binding contracts were signed in both blood and name. Fili had wanted to bring a knife, but Kili assured him a little blood was more than enough. Fili hoped the unusual chicken scratch would count as his name - it was hard to write neatly in near darkness, and with a needle no less.

Kili looked at him oddly for a moment, before taking the contract from his trembling fingers. “Humans don’t usually sign first, you know? They never trust us not to change the contract before we do.”

“I thought you said most contracts are done verbally? And I know you won’t. I’ll be trusting you as my partner for the rest of my life, why would I distrust you now?”

Kili smiled, illuminated by his own glowing signature, so intricate Fili couldn’t make head or tails of it. 

“Most humans are fools. But you aren’t.”

The papers burst into flame.

Fili gasped, but Kili’s smile didn’t disappear - and it stayed warm, nothing like the leering look he had at their first meeting. His eyes were dark as coals, reflecting the fire.

“Once we seal the contract for good it will be written on our very souls. We will know it like the back of our hands, it will be a part of us and binding. It’s impossible to go against the terms - for either of us. Now, one last time, Fili. Will you give yourself and your pleasure to me? Will you trust me with your body?”

Fili trusted Kili with a lot more than just his body, as much as he was smart enough not to admit that. Kili didn’t really need an answer anymore. Despite the contract only officially being binding after the first payment, they had already signed. Kili could take what was his and would be in his right.

Fili still appreciated being asked. His throat was dry, a mere squeak leaving him, and he nodded instead, only finding his voice on the second try.

“Yes.”

This was what he choose, this was _who_ he choose. No matter how fast it all suddenly felt, how he felt no different despite suddenly being of age. This was his choice and he would stick to it.

Whatever it was like, however it would feel, Fili had decided to trust Kili. And whether he liked the sex or not, it would help Kili, like Kili would help Fili, and that would make it worth it either way.

Kili moved towards him, his every movement suddenly fluid, deliberate. Intense. Fili looked into Kili's eyes, dark as the night, and felt like he could loose himself in them. The cold didn’t register anymore, replaced by a heat that seemed to come from his very core, growing and ever growing.

Kili’s hand felt soft, tender on his cheek and Fili couldn’t help but lean into it, the contact like a lifeline. The fingers of his other hand carded through Fili’s hair, soothing and burning at once, and the only thing diverting his attention from the sensation were Kili’s lips on his.

Soft, warm, a tingling that moved through his whole body, electrifying him. Fili gasped and a tongue met his, every touch stoking the fire higher and higher. Fili didn’t know what he was doing, but it didn’t matter. It felt like he was flying, dancing, and Kili guided him through like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

Hands wandered, Fili only distantly aware of how his clothes fell away until skin met skin and he burned ever more. Needed more. Fili didn’t recognize the sound he made when fingertips found his nipple, a heady sound, more animal than human, and only realized he had thrown his head back when Kili attacked his throat with lips and tongue and teeth. Fili gasped, moaned, no thought left for being quiet. How could he be? How could anyone be with the feelings Kili’s clever hands and tongue were coaxing out of him? 

He bucked up without thought, nothing but need and lust and love burning through his veins. Kili’s hands caught him, pulled him close, until he was sitting in Kili’s lap, burning and needing. 

And feeling.

The fear came back, a sharp, sour taste through the sweet pleasure. His own hand wound down to Kili’s member, nestled between his cheeks. Kili’s eyes seemed to burn when Fili touched it, but his friend held still, perhaps noticing the change.

“That’s… There’s no way that will fit.” Fili whispered, fire still there but slowly being doused by the fear. Of course Kili would be big. He was a sex demon, an incubus. Woman always said bigger was better, right? But he wasn’t a woman, and there was no way that would fit.

Kili’s lips met his again. Sweet, caressing, not stoking the fire but instead comforting him. “Shh, trust me. It won’t hurt. I can’t hurt you, remember? Just let me take care of you.” 

Fili tried to breath deep, shaky and suddenly uncertain. He tried to relax, tried to berate himself for suddenly freaking out, but Kili’s hands wandered up again, cradling his face, the now glowing embers of his eyes focused on Fili’s.

Kili breathed, and Fili breathed with him. Deep and calm. Their foreheads touched, they breathed the same air and Fili felt his muscles relax one by one. It was okay. Kili wouldn’t hurt him.

“Better?” Kili asked him when his breathing had calmed again, the fire banked but the acrid taste of fear finally gone for good.

Fili nodded, and Kili smiled, rewarding him with a slow and leisure kiss. It felt like heaven, like he was flying. Kili went slower this time, fingertips exploring Fili’s skin like it was uncharted territory, each dip and curve a new wonder to behold. He coaxed new sounds out of Fili’s throat, breathy moans, gasps and sounds Fili had no words for, could hardly believe they came from him. The warmth spread, fire licking, rising again and Fili held on while Kili explored every inch of his body as if he had found a treasure. Fili felt worshiped, loved. 

He tried to gather his wits, to give some of the pleasure back, but Kili just laughed, not unkind, and whispered in his ear: “Don’t worry about it, love. Just feel. Let me take care of you.” 

So Fili held on, enjoyed every touch, the exploration, the sweet hands stroking and touching and kneading him everywhere but where he burned the most.

“Kee…” Soft lips back on his, devouring him, swallowing his keens and moans before they could escape. He felt hot and needy, _wanting_ with every part of his being, the pressure ever rising and rising until he felt he would burst.

It wasn’t the only pressure. Kili lifted him in the air like he weighted nothing, lips still distracting him, tongue demanding his attention. But not even Kili’s toe curling kisses could distract him from the feeling of something wet and hot and too big slowly sliding into him. Fili gasped, and Kili used one hand to hold his head close, deepening the kiss, holding him up with only the other, lowering him slowly, oh so slowly.

It didn’t hurt. Even when Fili reflexively clenched, all he saw was stars in his eyes, a harsh scream of pleasure wrought from his throat. He bucked, not knowing whether it was too much or not enough and _needing_ , just needing, every other sensation blown away.

Kili pulled back, licking his lips like he had found the sweetest honey on Fili’s.  
His hand still guided Fili lower, slow and steady, as if the fire that was burning Fili alive didn’t touch him at all, as if Kili could wait an eternity for this and more. Only his eyes, burning red, lighting up the darkness, gave away that Kili was affected at all.

“Ple-” Kili kissed him again, with a little bite this time.

“As much as I will enjoy making you beg in the future, just enjoy it this time. Don’t want you accidentally adding something to the contract now, do we?”

Fili gave a wordless whine, the pressure and heat inside more than he could bear and _not enough._ He couldn’t even say how much of Kili was inside him yet, but he felt full, full to bursting. His world zeroed in on the sensation, there was nothing but Kili inside him, more and more and ever more, sobs echoing through the air while Fili clawed at Kili’s skin to no avail, lip bloody from where Fili bit it to keep his words from betraying him. Fili wished Kili would go faster, and feared he would burst if he did, already feeling fuller than possible, Kili filling him up until nothing else remained. 

And yet no pain. Just pleasure, too much and not enough, symphonies and fireworks and Fili _needed,_ needed like he never had before.

Fili felt half insane when he finally felt Kili’s balls at his entrance. He was shivering uncontrollably, tears and gasps, his hands like claws on Kili’s skin. He was barely aware of the soothing noises, the hand in his hair, too preoccupied by the impossible fullness. It still seemed to grow, searing through his whole body like fire, burning and rebuilding everything in it’s path.

“That’s the contract, my love. It won’t be this intense or hard every time, not unless you want it to be.“

The words meant nothing compared to the fire, the sweet touches burned away by the heat and magic running through him.

And then it was done.

The unnatural fire turned to ash, swept away heartbeat by heartbeat, too loud in his own ears. His breathing was ragged, his throat hurt from screaming - until Kili kissed it, and the ache left, leaving nothing but a pleasant tingling. Fili felt tired, spent, his own erection flagging even with the now much more bearable shape within him. Kili was still big, but whatever fear he once had would never compare to the feeling of the magic searing through him, filling him until it felt he ceased to exist.

“Do you want to stop for now? I hadn’t expected sealing the contract would take so much out of you. We can wait until later if you prefer.”

Fili looked up at Kili, all to aware that his partner was far from done. That energy hadn’t gone to Kili. That was all the magic and energy needed to seal the contract itself. 

Fili wondered if a familiar contract was anything like it, but discarded the thought. It didn’t matter anymore, he would never have to endure another.

He took stock of his body. Tired, achy - but weirdly enough not where he expected to be, Kili still nestled in his body, hot and heavy, feeling nothing but good and right and wonderful.

“You really can’t hurt me, can you? Not even accidentally, or as a side effect.”

“Nope, I can’t. But even if I could, this wouldn’t hurt unless you enjoyed being in pain. Incubi Magic. Any pain you might feel I transform into pleasure. It’s why we’re addicting. No downsides, more pleasure than any human can give another.”

Fili laughed - and moaned when the vibration moved Kili inside him, just that bit. Fuck, that felt good. He tried moving again, just a tiny bit. Sparks flew, fireworks behind his eyes. The warmth settled in his groin again, spreading slowly, faster with every tiny rocking motion. Kili’s eyes were half lid, looking at him with a mix of hunger and adoration. Fili decided he liked that look, liked being desired. It felt heady, powerful. He felt in control without having to take it, fight for it.

His own hands reached into Kili’s long, dark hair, up his neck until he was cradling his face, kissing him while he rocked in tiny motions, sparks of heat and pleasure shooting through him like stars.

Kili kissed him back, surging forward to devour Fili’s mouths with his own, adding tiny upwards thrusts to Fili’s rocking motions. It felt divine. The pressure was nothing like before, all velvet pleasure and want fulfilled. Fili gasped and moaned and pulled Kili closer, tiny movements becoming bigger as the pleasure rose, beautiful and sweet and perfect. He felt the edge coming, like he was riding a wave of pleasure, balancing and cresting. Both longing for the fall and never wishing for it to end.

And then it did. The pressure burst, pleasure washing away everything, every thought and sensation, leaving nothing but stars and warmth and happiness.

Fili tried to catch his breath. It felt impossible. Breathless laughter spilled form his lips and Kili held him, a warm smile and a look of unabashed adoration on his face. Kili’s skin was glowing in the early morning light, a healthy flush Fili hadn’t realized was missing before it was there. 

“How do you feel?” Kili asked him, voice soft and warm.

“Good. Really, really good. But- ehm. Do you need another round? Because I’m not sure I can right now…” Kili just laughed and carefully pulled out. Fili felt strangely… empty without him. Like that was were Kili belonged and Fili wanted him back already. The rest of his body made it clear the break was sorely needed - he felt exhausted, and he had no doubt he would be in pain right now if Kili’s magic wasn’t still transforming the pain signals into little, delightful aftershocks of pleasure.

Fili could get used to that.

“We are never satisfied, love, and even coming will not soften me, so don’t make it a goal of yours. But I’m happy right now, and well fed. You taste amazing by the way.”

Fili gave him a half-hearted slap, more pat than anything really, and enjoyed the closeness before the encroaching cold would force them back into their clothes. Kili had probably used some kind of magic to ensure they didn’t completely freeze - or wake up everyone around - and Fili couldn’t bring himself to mind, even if he had been irrationally terrified that any magic might bring his uncle down on them. It didn’t matter anymore now. Thorin wouldn’t be able to hurt him now, or to separate them.

At least technically.

They had talked about it while they wrote the contract, about Kili’s odd insistence to be kept a secret. After some consideration he had even put that before his rule that Fili would only sleep with him - though they had kept that rule. Fili didn’t mind it, and had no interest in keeping the family line alive anyway. And each rule of Kili’s he accepted gave him a bit more wiggle room in his own needs he wanted met. As much as they had tried to keep it short and sweet, lest they tangle themselves up in too much unnecessary bullshit.

The passage in the contract rose to his mind’s eye as he was thinking of it, a weird feeling that had him blinking to try and get the superimposed letter’s out of his sight. There was a memory attached to it, just laying in wait, like a mental string he could pull, a side note added to the legally binding document now written on his soul. He turned his attention to it and it leapt towards him like an overexcited puppy.

“Every contract can be broken. And yes, that includes familiar contracts. You just never heard of it because no one bothers. That’s not true for demon contracts. Your kind have been trying to get out of those since time amoral, trying to get one over on us. There are plenty of magicians who specialize in getting people out of bad deals - for a lot of money or other kinds of payments, usually. I know a part of you wants to impress Thorin, make him regret ever treating you this way, but if he finds out you bound yourself to a demon, he has an angle of attack. He could try to hire someone to undo our contract against our will, or threaten us with it so we have to do what he wants. This will become less of a problem the longer our contract stands, but you can not let him - or anyone else - know you bound your life to a demon. Your people will not look at you with awe, and you’ll never have a peaceful day in your life again, not unless you leave everything behind for good. Do you understand? I will lend you my powers to protect you, but I won’t help you show off, or let you use me to impress someone.”

“What do you propose then? I don’t want to show off, but how will I get Thorin off my case without that? How would we even hide that I’m contracted to you?!”

“There are spells to check for familiars, just as there are spells for finding demons. Along with counter spells etc. I can stay invisible to anyone but you, but the spells are harder to evade. But I think, if we make an unusual contract, a mix of familiar and demon - perhaps with some other’s thrown in, if we can manage - we should be able to trick them. I will count as your familiar, but because I’m not a familiar but a demon, you won’t show up as bound to one. And because you won’t have an actual, regular demon contract, they won’t be able to find it on you. All searching spells have to be precise, and the farther out of the box we are the less likely it is they will find us. There are ways to protect ourselves if it comes to it, but I would really rather prevent it all together. Especially in the beginning.”

There were lips on his.

Fili blinked, disoriented, as Kili smirked at him, impossibly close. Fili flinched back. Hadn’t Kili been at the other side of the room? 

“Careful, I know the magic is new and all, but you don’t want to get lost in it - or in the past. There are more dangers to magic than just life sucking familiars, you know?”

“Yeah, sorry.” Fili shook his head, trying to dislodge the weird feeling and memory. It had felt so real, the voice, the smells, all of it. As if it were happening right then and there. “Is that a demon thing? Those memories? I’ve never heard about that with familiars.”

“Familiars do help your recall a bit,” Kili explained, handing him his clothes. “But nothing like what you just experienced. I can mimic parts of familiars skills, but in the end I’m not one of them. And I’m a lot stronger than they are, so the parts that might be similar still won’t be the same. We’ll have to experiment and see for ourselves if everything worked exactly like we planned it. Not like there was anything routine about that contract.”

Uncharted waters, all of it. 

Fili slowly pulled on his clothes, regretful to leave the skin on skin contact behind - if only for a day at most. Would he ever get tired of such an incredible experience, of everything that Kili had made him feel? Even if he had it everyday? Fili just couldn’t imagine it. 

But for now they had a job to do, a plan to set in motion, and only a limited amount of time to do it in.

“I don’t regret it. Whatever happens, I want you to know that.” Fili told his friend - his _partner_ \- as they stopped at the edge of the woods. Their paths would have to split here for the next hours, the next part one that Fili would have to face alone. They had scrubbed every trace of Kili’s presence in the house yesterday, anything that could lead Thorin to realize how Fili had managed to find his own way out.

It was risky, but it was the best option long term.

Kili pulled him close one last time, Fili’s heavy bag slung over his shoulder, before they reluctantly separated. 

They both had their parts to play.

-

Fili spent the rest of his day meditating. He refused food, or any special attention on his special day, citing the need to prepare for the coming ceremony. The pride and approval he saw in Thorin’s eyes would have once meant the world Fili - now they only disgusted him. He could see clearer now, could see the strings attached to his uncles body, leading into the nether, to his master.  
Fili wouldn’t always be able to see them, but the meditation connected him to Kili, let the demonic energy and abilities flow into him. Power unimaginable danced through him, around him, more with each minute, settling into his soul and body and making him want to move, to run, to change the world to his will.

He kept still, counting the hours and keeping the rising energy, the sharp senses, the sheer awareness of all the life and power around and in him at bay. 

An hour before midnight, the steady flow cut off. Kili settled in to wait, Fili knew. He would be in his own world - waiting for Fili’s sign, if bad came to worst.

Fili didn’t think it would. If this was what it was like being a demon, Fili finally understood why people would sell their souls. Not just for riches in life, but in the vain hope of becoming like them afterwards. Perhaps Thorin thought that was the fate that awaited him once someone managed to kill him.

It wasn’t, Kili had made that clear. While it apparently wasn’t impossible to become a demon, it was far from easy - and selling one’s soul was the utterly wrong way to go about it. Kili had refused to say anymore on the matter, instead explaining what Fili could expect from these short hours.  
The overwhelming power, the bliss, the overconfidence.  
It was an incredible experience - and one he would only have this once. They didn’t know how strong Thorin’s attack would be, so Kili was being safe, but he would never share this much power with Fili again. 

“Look at it like drugs - the high is amazing, but the fall will make you wish you were dead. I’m going to help you through the withdrawal, but I’m not your battery. This is so you can appear to protect yourself without any outside help, nothing else.”

Fili would cast one spell - and one spell only - with this endless power. It felt like such a waste. He was sure he didn’t even need spells right now to bring the world to it’s knees, to make his family beg for his forgiveness. It was tempting, oh, so tempting. What was stopping him? Why shouldn’t he have everything he ever wanted? Why shouldn’t he use this power however he wished?

He walked behind the servants, leading him to the great chamber, runes on every surface, all intended to strengthen his call, find him the strongest familiar. 

What use did Fili have for such pathetic, greedy creatures?  
He had Kili.

Kili. His partner. Who was lending him this power. It wasn’t Fili’s. It would fade. But what he did now wouldn’t. Kili trusted him, trusted him with his power, trusted him even though magicians had been using and abusing demons for their power ever since they first made contact. And was it any wonder, with power like this? Didn’t the demons give back just as bad as they got? Didn’t they kill countless magicians who had borrowed their power for a while, to play god with it?

Thorin was talking, but Fili wasn’t listening, a battle raging inside himself. Survive. He wanted to survive. He felt good now, incredible, but it wouldn’t last. His partnership with Kili would. Kili had warned him. Had been hesitant. Who did he want to prove himself to? Thorin, who had made it clear he was never enough on his own? Or Kili, the one being who actually trusted and cherished him. Who would protect and stay with him the rest of his life, letting him _live_ instead of just survive.

Fili had never even thought about living, survival had been hard enough. But he thought to this morning, to pleasure and smiles and warmth. He wanted more of that. He didn’t want to be a _master_ , demanding more and more. He wanted to be a _partner!_ He wanted to live and he wanted Kili to live and he-

“Fili!”

Thorin was looming, all but frothing at the mouth. The strings were pulling at his limps grotesquely. His uncle was nothing but a shell, consumed by the power he had been given.

“No.” Fili said. To power. To demands. To this whole stupid, endless cycle of greed and death and misery.

“What do you mean 'no'? Do you have a death wish, nephew? I will not spare you because we are blood. You have prepared the last year for this moment, to find the perfect familiar to make you worthy of our family. Now get up there and pray one will find _you_ worthy.”

“No.” Fili repeated, widening his stance, holding his ground, the power dancing in his fingertips. It wasn’t his. It was an extension of Kili. But for now it was his to control, and Fili knew what he wanted, what he had always wanted.  
“I do not need a familiar to stand against you, uncle. I have prepared this whole year and I have found power in myself you can’t even imagine. I will make my own way in the world, under my own power. So try me. Right here and now. Smite me, and if I still stand, I will be free, and you will never control me again.”

“Don’t be daft! You will die! Get up there!” Was that panic in Thorin’s voice? His eyes were wide and frightened and Fili could see the strings tugging, could see his uncle try to fight against them.

“No, uncle. I will not. I will not follow your path, nor your master. Perhaps someday that will bring you peace, even if not today.”

The hate and anger he had felt towards his uncle dissipated in sight of his struggle, how he fought against the strings binding him. Fili thought of kinder days, of moments when his uncle would try to teach him something, would tell him a story. He thought of all the moments in between where Thorin had been full of anger and rage and obsession, becoming more and more frequent over the years until the wisps of the uncle Fili had been lucky enough to meet had all but disappeared. 

Thorin had once been forced into the same choice Fili was given now. And that same Thorin was fighting, perhaps for the last time, for the sake of his nephews life.

He lost.

Fili saw the moment the dark strings won, when rage and hate once again clouded his uncles eyes. He saw the power flowing, pulsing through the strings, settling between claw like hands.

His own danced playfully around him, eager to meet the dark energies in a match for the ages. Fili pulled them close, settled them around him in a sphere, a shield of invisible light and warmth and hope and love. It wasn’t Fili’s power, but he had made it his own. And he refused to wield hate, refused to be controlled by it.

The blast flew towards him, smoke and fire and poison in the air - and bounced off Fili, straight through the altar at which countless others before him had sacrificed their life for the yoke of a cruel master.

No more.

Thorin twitched, along with the string’s odd, almost confused waving.  
His uncles eyes traveled to his, wide and confused. Clear. His master was too astonished to control him.

“Goodbye uncle.”

The words felt like ash on his tongue, so many crowding at the back of his throat, but all of them rang wrong, false.   
It was probably for the best. Whatever controlled Thorin had always used Fili’s words against him. 

Fili turned around, and left his past behind without looking back.


End file.
